A solution to injuries from slips and falls may be found underfoot—literally. The footpads of geckos have hydrophilic (water-loving) mechanisms that allow the little animals to easily move over moist, slick surfaces.
Researchers have found that using silicone rubber enhanced with zirconia nanoparticles creates a gecko-inspired slip-resistant polymer. They say the material, which sticks to ice, could be incorporated into shoe soles to reduce injuries in humans. Their study is published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
Slips and falls account for more than 38 million injuries and 684,000 deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization. And nearly half of these incidents happen on ice. Current anti-slip shoe soles rely on materials such as natural rubber that repel the layer of liquid water that sits atop the pavement on a rainy day.